This page contains a series of articles by Idona L. Kellogg. First one describing the effectiveness of
work parties in The Mountaineers Lodge system, and the second describing Meany response to an
approaching forest fire, and the third is a synopsis of Meany's first 75 years. click on links below
enjoy !!
Help Build Your Castle In the Hills:
Work parties begin In September
In September, conscientious and duty-bound Mountaineers return to Mountain Castles (Ski Lodges) to build and maintain these havens. Mountaineer Lodges at Baker, Meany, Snoqualmie, Stevens and Kitsap exist and flourish only because of dedicated and responsible volunteers.
Adventurous, self-sufficient, fun-loving, folks become carpenters, machinists, plumbers, painters, pack horses, loggers, masons, electricians, shovel masters and jacks-of-all-trades to construct and refurbish the lodges
Work parties begin in September (see lodge notice in bulletins). Although held mainly in the fall, some spring and summer work time is planned for cleanup and special projects.
Creating and maintaining the lodges takes ingenuity, hard-work, and time. The pay-off - low lodge fees, enjoyable facilities, useable equipment, and stimulating contact with others eager to learn, practice, and teach new skills. Workers take great pride in their accomplishments at the lodge.
Many Mountaineers attend work parties because they are lively, fun-filled, and memorable. Work parties are an inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors and meet interesting people. Room/board is usually free.
By tradition, beginning with the construction of Snoqualmie in 1914, Mountaineers have chosen to do the work themselves rather then depend on others for things they want done. Throughout the years The Mountaineers' have been blessed with high-caliber troops contributing enormous number of hours.
Imagine the labor needed to build Meany Lodge in 1928 in two short months. Club members hauled supplies by hand uphill 300 yards from the Northern Pacific railroad station at Martin to the Meany site. In addition to erecting a large two-story frame building. they made tables and benches and brought in bed springs, mattresses and other furniture. A kitchen range weighing 1,700 pounds was pulled up the mountain with block and tackle.
The rebuilding of Snoqualmie Lodge after it was destroyed by fire in 1944 was an immense undertaking
Look at a few recent examples of impressive achievements. Baker's infinite large windows were changed to thermo pane. When indoor plumbing was installed at Steven's, a 73 foot long trench was dug with pick and shovel. Snoqualmie replaced its tow shack and equipment by dismantling and transporting pieces all the way from Mt. Pulchuck Ski Area. After a connecting rod broke on Meany's TomCat on a Sunday afternoon, Meanyites had the motor completely rebuilt by the following Wednesday.
Each year sees abundant repairs and improvements at the lodges. Many hours are spent servicing the equipment
Lodge users, especially, need to do their share of upkeep and construction. Modest lodge fees are only possible because those using the facilities help with the chores. Costs can be kept low if everyone pitches in now.
Forest Fire! Will It Reach Meany?
This is the question asked by Meany Lodge Committee members as they watched the fire from Dandy Mountain July 25-27.
A forest fire at the southeast end of Lake Keechalus had burned out of control for two days and was not contained until it reached Meadow Creek, about 2.5 miles from Meany. At one point, the fire was moving at .5 mph in the direction of Meany
Eight Meanyites move heavy equipment to a bare hill Thursday evening after the fire had been reported to them about 6:30 pm.
Paul Bergman, Lodge Chairman, and Tom Van DeVanter Jr., TomCat driver, monitored the fire all day Friday. A dozen large vehicles assembled at Meany Friday evening, ready to evacuate tools and furnishings quickly should the blaze cross fire lines.
Milestones from 75 years at Meany Lodge
Seventy-five years ago a dream came true - Meany Hut was a reality! On Armstice Day, 1928, Dr. Edmond S. Meany, president of the Mountaineers, stood with 100 Mountaineers and guests to dedicate a two-story shelter that had been built by volunteers in two months of back-breaking labor. Dr. Meany had donated the land. To build the lodge, club members became carpenters. masons, and pack-horses hauling supplies by hand uphill 300 yards from the Northern Pacific railroad at Martin to the Meany site. In addition to erecting a 20 by 50 two-story frame building large enough for fifty people, they made tables and benches, brought in bed springs, mattresses, and other furniture, and even managed to pull a kitchen range weighing 1,700 pounds up the mountain with block and tackle.
Before the first tow was built in 1938, even the strongest skiers could only manage three or four climbs and descents of Meany Hill on any one day. Many devoted their time to touring the surrounding country .Ski races at Meany were popular, with cross-country and slalom races for men and women and downhill races for men.
Then there was the "patrol race." The race route led cross-country from Snoqualmie Lodge to Meany, a distance of over 22 miles. Teams were started about 10 minutes apart and the three men or women of each team were required to go over the fInish line at Meany within one minute of each other. The trek took 5 to 6 hours.
In his article for the 1956 Mountaineer Annual, "The Story of Meany Ski Hut", Fred W .Ball wrote, "In 1931 two loggers from Easton contracted to fall the trees ftom the cornice down to the clearing for $100 and so the lane was created. Unfortunately the loggers were careless, or the trees perverse, for they fell in a jumble, requiring an outlay of another $100 the following summer to clean up the slash and reduce the fire hazard, which also improved the skiability."
Many other ski runs have since been opened up. Three rope tows were added in different eras. The longest (vertical rise 440'~ length 1~000~) called the 'Mach Tow.' refers to the 'speed of sound.' Beginner Ski Areas sport the 'Superworm' (medium speed tow) and 'turtle' (very slow tow).
Unique activities developed at Meany such as "Pack the Hill, "Kitchen Run, " games of "gates" and "tube hockey," and "Carnival Weekend" with crazy races and corny contests. Over the years Meanyites gave colorful names to "sites" and equipment humorously building legends of exploits, challenges and misadventures.
Engineer Walter B. Little, a Meanyite for sixty-three years, wrote about drastic changes to the Meany scene. He tells of a concerted effort in 1939 which resulted in a 24 x 30' three story addition with a basement containing a furnace, drying, waxing room, washroom, and -at last!-inside plumbing. The main floor held a recreation room with a ping-pong table and space for dancing or games. Dorm space was almost doubled. A light plant had previously been installed and, later, telephone service was added.
The lodge capacity was increased again in 1971.to nearly 100 when a new floor was added over the Girls Dorm. Digging out the lodge basement and installing a new septic system and drain field increased lodge usability in the 90's. Updating and enlarging lodge facilities has yearly taken an enormous number of volunteer hours.
Erecting the Tow Hut, Cat House, The Zoo, etc. (for protection of equipment and workers) required improvising, hard-working volunteers. Procuring and maintenance of Meany machines and equipment has been done by Meany's own ingenious experts donating an unbelievable number of man hours.
Initially the Meany property was accessed by a coal-burning train from Auburn which puffed smoke and spewed cinders. Early Mountaineer, Art Winder, writes "Sometimes the cinders covered the snow and made skiing well nigh impossible. But despite the cinders and smoke the trains were fun to watch." The Mountaineers were dropped off at Martin, the first station on the east side of the tunnel under Stampede Pass. The Mountaineer car was left at Easton on Saturday, to be picked up by a train traveling west the next afternoon, which would stop at Martin to get Mountaineers returning home on Sunday.
Access to Meany in wintertime is now by Sno-cat. Since 1960 when the trains could no longer stop at Martin, tracked vehicles have been the lifeline for Meany. The fleet now includes a Bombardier Sno-cat, called "TomCat", for hauling people and supplies to and from Meany, the 'Packrat' or Thiokol Sprite transporter and utility vehicle, 'Dino' which is a commercial snow groomer, and 'Mouse' or snowmobile for emergencies and establishing cross-country trails.
Imagine the surprise of people when they see corning toward them lines of skiers with overnight packs being pulled by a gaily-painted Bombardier Cat loaded with more skiers.
For seventy-five years Meany has been blessed with dedicated volunteers. May that caliber of volunteer be with Meany for many years to come.
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